In some regions of
Ethiopia, abduction and rape is a
cultural practice used to take a girl
as wife by force. Typically, the girl
is abducted by a group of young men,
and then raped by the man who wants
to marry her-either someone she knows,
or a total stranger. Elders from the
man's village then ask the family
of the girl to agree to the marriage;
the family often consents because
a girl who has lost her virginity
would be socially unacceptable for
marriage to another man. Sometimes
the abductor keeps the girl in a hiding
place until she is pregnant, at which
time the family again feels it has
no option but to agree to the marriage.

It may seem unlikely
a victim would willingly marry the
perpetrator of her abduction and rape.
However, with social and cultural
pressure from families and the community,
as well as threats from the offender,
the girl will often "consent" to marry
her perpetrator.

Both abduction and
rape are criminal offences under Ethiopian
law, but if marriage is subsequently
agreed, the husband is exempt
from criminal responsibility for his
crimes.

Changing the law
to adequately address the injustice
that abducted and raped girls face
is essential to the realization of
the fundamental right to equality
in Ethiopia. To find out more about
what Equality Now is doing to campaign
for changes in the law to protect
the rights of women and bring perpetrators
of abduction, rape and forced marriage
to justice, and to find out what you
can do, click
here.